Lookin' Out For Mei Mei
by xXxThe Phantom's RosexXx
Summary: Kaylee's down in the dumps. Who will be there to look out for her? The Cap'n of course but who else? Hint: A very unlikely friend. My first real Firefly fic so please be kind and review.


A/N: I wrote several drabbles last night but this is my first real Firefly fanfiction

**A/N: I wrote several drabbles last night but this is my first real Firefly fanfiction. Feedback would be much appreciated. I know I might have gone overboard with the vernacular but I was trying to get their accents down. I'm sorry and please don't let it be distracting. I apologize if it is. Anyways, I don't own Firefly and reviews are the sunshine to my sky!**

**Looking Out For Mei Mei **

Kaylee Fry looked herself over in the mirror. Her red hair was straight and pulled up into a ponytail with whisps falling out hither and yon; her face was dotted with freckles and smudged with grease; her clothing was far from elegant or dainty consisting of a rainbow stripped shirt and overalls; and personally, if you asked her, she would have denied the fact that her blue-green eyes sparkled like a glistening ocean. No, Kaylee – in her opinion – was far from attractive, beautiful, elegant, dainty, fair, or any of the like. _Maybe Jayne was right for once_, Kaylee sighed as she thought to herself, _maybe I am nothing more than a homely mechanic…_

"Kaylee?" Kaylee quickly dropped the mirror and turned to see none other than Captain Malcolm Reynolds standing behind her, a perplexed look planted on his face.

"Cap'n!" Kaylee cried out, "Fancy seein' you 'ere…"

"Kaylee, is somethin' the matter?"

"N-no sir, nothin' at'll."

"Really now? Funny how I'm not believing that."

"It's just somethin' Jayne said is all."

"Jayne?" Mal raised an eyebrow.

"But like I said, it's nothin'."

"Well it has to be somethin' 'cus I doubt you'd be this worked up about nothing'."

Kaylee looked down at her shoes and bit her lower lip. Mal could always see right past her and she hated him for it at the moment. Why did he have to pry? Why couldn't he just leave well enough alone? It was none of his business what was troubling her.

"Mei Mei?" Mal asked, his voice suddenly serious. Kaylee knew now that she had no choice but to tell him.

"Alright, so maybe it ain't _nothin_'…"

"What did Jayne say to you, Kaylee?"

"Well…we – Zoe and me – were havin' ourselves a little talk about the men-folk on this ship and…"

"I wasn't included in this 'talk' was I?" Mal asked, suddenly becoming nervous.

"No…"

"Wait, why not?"

"_Cap'n_…"

"Sorry. Continue," Mal said with a wave of his hand.

"Well we were talkin' about how…how I kind of like someone…"

"Right, the doc…"

"_You know_?" Kaylee looked as though she were about to be sick.

"Well…"

"Is it that obvious?"

"No – of course not! Keep goin'."

"Well…she told me I should make the first move because men are too incompetent to do it on their own. She told me to ask 'im to dinner – jus' the two of us!"

"Oh?"

"Yeah and then Jayne walked in and apparently he had o'er heard us talkin' and said that why would the doc be interested in a plain ol' mechanic girl like me? He said the doc is from 'ivilized parts and that the only girls 'ed be interested in are the ones with pretty dresses and dressed up hair and made up faces. 'E said I was the opposite of anything Simon would be remotely interested in…"

"Kaylee…"

"It's true, Cap'n. Every word. I am plain. Simon…he deserves someone who's cultured and elegant and pretty and…"

"Sit down. I think it's time we have a little talk of our own," Mal ordered as he took a seat on Kaylee's hammock.

"What about, Cap'n?" Kaylee asked as she sat down next to him.

"Mei Mei, Jayne is a dumb piece of shit who wouldn't know pretty if it bit him in the ass!"

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Kaylee asked, trying hard not to smile.

"Did it?"

"Just a tad."

"Kaylee, you are a smart girl and you know better than to put a lot of thought into what Jayne says. He just spurts out whatever. Don't pay him any mind."

"Cap'n…d-do you think Simon would be interested in a gal like _me_?"

"Why wouldn't he?" Mal asked, "Come on Kaylee, you aren't gonna make me say _every_ attribute about you now, are you?"

"It'd be real nice if ya did."

"Fine," Mal rolled his eyes and spoke as if it was paining him to do so, "You are smart, funny, upbeat, you always have a smile on your face, you are pretty, you can make anyone smile, you love life, and you are somethin' special, Kaylee. Remember that."

"Aww, Cap'n," Kaylee smiled up at the man she had grown to adore, her eyes watering, "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."

"Well…I do what I can."

"Thank you, Cap'n. Ya know, I jus' might go an' find Simon an' ask 'im to that dinner."

"Good," Mal said with a curt nod before pushing himself out of the hammock and walking over to the door, "And Kaylee?"

"Cap'n?"

"If you ever put so much as the slightest ounce of thought into anything Jayne says, I will kill him, then you. Got me?"

"Yes sir, Cap'n."

"Good. Now I'm off to kick me some ass."

Kaylee smiled as she too got up from the hammock. She walked over to the mirror, picked it up, and smiled at her reflection. After putting down the mirror, she made her way to the infirmary to ask Simon to dinner.

 FIREFLY 

"Jayne! JAYNE!"

"God damn it!" Jayne Cobb shouted as he got out of his bunk and walked over to the door. Opening it, he found a very angry Malcolm Reynolds on the other side, "Mal?"

"Jayne? Fancy seeing you here. Mind if we have a chat? 'Course ya don't."

"Mal…?"

"I heard what you said to Kaylee."

"Oh. That."

"Yeah, '_that_,'" Mal mimicked.

"Look, I didn't mean nothin' by it…I was just teasin' is all."

"I don't care what you were doing. Remember our deal, Jayne? You hurt Kaylee, I hurt you."

"Mal…"

"Next time I ever catch wind of you sayin' anythin' like that again, it will be your hide, got it?"

"Yes, Mal."

"Good. Because face it, no one wants your hide, Jayne."

"You just wish _you_ had someone interested in _your_ hide."

"Oh and _you_ do?" Mal asked.

"Matter 'fact I do."

"Who?"

"You know that whore-house job we did?"

"Yeah?"

"Well let's just say I got more than several helpings during that meal…"

"Oh GOD!" Mal shouted, "I CAN'T know that!"

"You asked," Jayne smiled smugly.

"Just remember Jayne, don't hurt her."

"I wouldn't do anything to hurt her, you know that, Mal. I was jus' teasin' is all. I wouldn't hurt her."

"Good to know you care, Jayne."

"Oh no," Jayne was quick to correct, "It's not that I care about her. I just don't want you to beat my ass in."

"Always the charmer, aren't you Jayne?"

"I try."

 FIREFLY 

"Doc!"

"What do you want, Jayne?" Simon asked impatiently as Jayne stormed into the infirmary, "Can't you see I'm busy organizing my supplies?"

"Look, we need to talk."

"What is this about? You didn't accidentally shoot yourself, did you?"

"Come on, Doc. This is serious."

"Oh," Simon blinked a few times taken back. Jayne? Serious? Since when?

"Yeah, how was your dinner with Kaylee?"

"Fine," Simon answered, "Though I'm not certain that's any of your business."

"Well it kind of is. See, Kaylee likes you – a lot for reasons unbeknownst to me but she likes you."

"And I like her."

"But you see, Doc the thing is…you aren't going to hurt her, are you?"

"What do you mean, Jayne?"

"I mean you aren't gonna break her little heart, are ya?"

"No," Simon shook his head, putting down a bottle of Chloroform, "I'm not planning on it. Why?"

"Well you see here…it's like this…if you hurt her, she'll be sad and Mal will think it's 'cus of somethin' I said and then he'll kick my ass and if he kicks my ass I'll have to kick yours."

"So basically if I do anything to break Kaylee's heart, you'll kick my…ass?"

"Yup. Good to know you're as smart as ya seem."

"I won't hurt her Jayne."

"Good."

"And I think it's sweet the way you and the captain look out for her…"

"Hey! I didn't say I was lookin' our fer 'er or anythin' like that…"

"You didn't have to," Simon smiled, "Is there anything else, Jayne?"

"N-no," Jayne shook his head and excused himself from the infirmary.

 FIREFLY 

That night Simon met Kaylee in the kitchen. She was sipping a cup of tea and staring off into space, thinking. He sat down across from her and she smiled at him. He returned it and after a few moments of silence, he spoke first.

"You're lucky you know."

"How so?" Kaylee asked.

"You've got lots of people looking out for you."

"'Course I do, doc. Serenity is a family. We all look out for each other."

"Even Jayne."

"Even Jayne," Kaylee nodded, "Because even trained apes need lookin' out 'fer."

"Especially trained apes without the training."

"Exactly," Kaylee smiled.


End file.
